Love to Hate the Yanks

So for the first time since 1995-96 I will have none of my favorite teams (Devils, Nets) make the playoffs. It is a weird feeling and one that will take some time to get used to. Obviously the Mets could undo all of it if they were to make the playoffs. The problem is that things don't look to good in Flushing - both on the field and off.

So what am I to do? Simple - hate the Yanks. Ever since I moved out to Seattle I have mellowed towards the Yanks. I'm not suggesting I liked the many bit more than before, it's just that they don't ruin my day or week or month anymore. I feel more at ease after having the baseball Armageddon known as a Yanks-Phils World Series; so much so that I was hoping to only be a lover and not a hater this season.

Then a funny thing happened. I watched Quick Pitch on the MLB Network and got to hear Michael Kay calling the Yanks opening day game against Detroit. I don't want to overdue it because there are a lot worse things to dislike in the world, but man I HATE the Yankees, their stupid announcer, the YES network, stupid Yankees Stadium, Yankees fans (all due respect to Asbury, Duker, Double B and Califano) and anything with pinstripes. Listening to Kay just brought out terrible feelings. If Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling are Angels, Kay is certainly the Devil. Oh, and Michael Sterling and his Thhhhhheee Yankeees Winnn, Thhhhheee Yankees Winnn is just as bad.

So this year while my Mets toil to 75 wins (ok, this is a momentary lapse out of Ya Gotta Believe mode), I will continue to hate on the Yanks. I will cheer for the Sox. And the Rays. And even the pitiful Mariners. Anyone but the Yanks.

That's all I have to say. Tell me why you hate the Yanks.

Bay's Injury Hurts..

...I have the kid right next to me so I have to keep this short for now. I just wanted to take 5 minutes to say that Jason Bay's injury is a definite punch in the gut. I know, I know...the Mets aren't going to be any good, but some reason I talked myself into being excited about them. I mean, if you look at our lineup, it's pretty good on paper. (well of course only if we are healthy). The pitching staff is a bit of a mess, but we play in a cavernous stadium that is always good for shaving a half run off our ERA. Most importantly, we have an identity and direction again.

After all the mess that has been going on with the Minaya firing, the Wilpon's financial woes and the Ollie/Castillo saga, it was finally time to get back to business. Reyes and Beltran were starting opening day and it looked like we might be in good shape. And then news of Jason Bay's injury hits. Having Willie Harris start in Left Field is not the end fo the world. I think he can be serviceable - no, Bay's injury is more of a symbolic kick in the pants. I thought maybe we could get through the season relatively injury free, but here we are on Opening Day 2011 and our big 2010 acquisition is again not on the field. Uggggh its frustrating. (but isn't that what being a Mets fan is all about?)

Ochocinco's New Career (ok..not quite)

You won't find too many people who will admit that they are a Chad Ochocinco fan. I am one of them. I don't know what it is about him, but I don't seem to have a problem with anything he does. In 2007, when he was at the top of his game, many thought he was obnoxious and self-promoting. He wore a Future Hall of Fame jacket, made a checklist of the cornerbacks he embarrassed, danced in the endzone and was single handedly responsible for the league changing it's celebration rule. At the time, the me-me-me stuff was over the top and yet I never thought what Chad did was anything of harm. He always just seemed to be having a good time.

When he changed his name I thought it was ridiculous, but hey, it was his decision - not mine. When he then went on Dancing with the Stars, got his own reality dating show and co-starred with TO in the T-Ocho Show, I thought he was simply doing what all red-blooded Americans would do...he took the opportunity to have fun and better his life. You see, I actually think that Ochocinco is a brilliant man who realizes that his football career will come to an end someday. I think he realizes that in order to stay in the spotlight he needs to explore other avenues and extend his 'brand'. I think he realizes that throwing himself into the entertainment circuit will assuredly help his chances to land an analyst gig or to have his own show. Simply put, the guy knows how to market himself.

When I heard the news that he was going on trial with Sporting KC of MLS, I didn't have any time to form an opinion because all the major news outlets were shoving theirs down my throat. "This is all a publicity stunt I heard." In a way it made sense. KC has always been one of the least popular teams in the league, but with a new owner, a new stadium and a new name, the tide appears to be turning. What a great way to get some attention than to bring Ochocinco in. For Ochocinco, it was a great way to stay in the spotlight with the NFL lockout currently ongoing.

When interviewed, Ochocinco said that he loved the sport when he was a kid and that playing professional soccer has always been a dream of his. I'm unsure how the relationship between the player and club came to be, but he was apparently very excited to be there. The plan was to have him on trial for 4 days after which the club would then decide to keep him in camp, offer him a contract or let him go. The skinny on his first two days was that he might be the most athletic guy on the field, but that he lacks the skill to be a professional. This is not saying he was a joke (actually his skill was fairly decent, if anything, rusty) , it was just apparent that he had no future with the club. Still, after the first two days, I started to hear a reversal in opinions. Slowly the words 'respect', 'serious', 'professionalism' started to creep into the discussion.

At the end of the trial, the following video came out. Go ahead and watch. Then tell me with a straight face that this was all a publicity stunt. The guy was clearly excited to be there. He was definitely humbled by the experience and was very aware of his own limitations. I loved that he took the guys out to dinner and he just seemed to be well liked. At the end of the video he is offered the chance to play in a reserve game and he is straight up excited.

The game didn't go very well, but SKC offered him the chance to continue training with them as an Honorary Member of the team. Head Coach Peter Vermes said that “he’s been a pleasure to have here. He’s progressed in the days he’s trained with us. We feel his stay here has been so good in so many ways that we offered him an opportunity to continue to work on his fitness while he’s waiting for the lockout to finish, and we made him an honorary member of Sporting Kansas City...he has been fantastic in all ways. In the locker room with the guys, and just with the staff and everyone else, it’s been a real pleasure.”

Obviously he had no chance of making the team. No matter what people think of MLS, the fact is that it is a professional soccer league. No way he could just leave the football field and make the team. However, it does sound like he was an asset during his time there. SKC is not risking anything by having him train with the team. As for Ochocinco, he gets to fulfill a dream and stay in shape until the lockout ends. It's a win-win for both.

I am happy for Ochocinco. I'm happy that a lot of sports fans have gotten to see another side of him and I'm happy that he is bringing some positive attention to soccer rather than the crap that is highlighted on Sportscenter. For that I thank him.

The People's Champ is Here...

...unfortunately he just didn't live up to the hype.

I got to watch a little bit of Raw last night. It was supposed to be the go-home show before Wrestlemania - the show that got everyone buzzing and the show that increased the buy rate of the PPV ($55 is a lot in today's economy). With The Rock making his first live appearance since his return a month ago, a confrontation between HHH and the Undertaker it was bound to be a can't miss show.

I actually got the pillows from my couch, laid on the floor close to the tv and pretended like I was a kid again as I waited for what the Great One had to say. In the end, I felt totally letdown. the first part I saw was the HHH-Undertaker in-ring showdown. It was a segment that in hindsight I thought was well done, but definitely one that was lagging as it went on. HHH and Undertaker talked about the respect that had for each other and both said they would win or die trying (still a phrase I'm not overly happy with in this situation). Then Shawn Michaels made a surprise appearance but instead of helping the segment take off he just added to the boring talk. In wasn't until his final action that I was excited. When HHH asked HBK why it was that he could beat the Undertaker, Michaels became silent, walked out of the ring and said he didn't think HHH could indeed beat the Undertaker. It was well done considering the friendship the two have - I definitely would have thought that HBK and HHH would have teamed up to make the Undertaker look weak, but instead the creative team threw a small curveball and made HHH look the weaker of the two. Normally the Undertaker is made to look at a disadvantage heading into Wrestlemania (this way his victory looks even more impressive), but now that he is in control, I wonder if this will be his first loss. You have to imagine it's now or never - there is no one left in the locker room who is worthy of ending his unbeaten streak at WM.

Fast forward 30 minutes and we had the long-awaited showdown between The Rock, John Cena and The Miz. The Rock came out first and from the get go something just seemed off. I know he was trying to portray that he was intense, but the heavy breathing made him look really out of shape and pouring water on himself did nothing for me. I mean, I don't need to look at a t-shirt sticking to your pecs. It was totally gimmicy and just didn't work for me. Then John Cena came out and cut what I thought was a great speech. He talked about why The Rock didn't like him. He addressed that he is proud of who he is. He said he was addressing The Rock like a man. All of it was great stuff. Now I know that The Rock couldn't just do a 180 and suddenly like Cena, but I wish he had said something besides he was going to kick Cena's ass. I know most adult fans in the arena booed Cena but I thought he simply won the war of words. Then as the two stared each other down, The Miz came out to remind them that he was WWE champion. He berated The Rock and then tried to beat the Great One up. The Rock fought off Miz and delivered a People's Elbow...but then was hit with an Attitude Adjustment by Cena. So in one segment, WWE crushed the Miz, made The Rock look weak and had Cena come out on top. Seeing that Miz is the champion and he has had his way with Cena the past 4 weeks, I just didn't like how it was done. I'm not sure what the creative team has up it's sleeve, but you have to think that The Rock is now going to be somehow involved in costing Cena the victory...or as originally predicted by me some four weeks ago, he does a Mike Tyson and actually helps Cena win even though they appear to be enemies. One thing is for sure - I hope this is the start of what turns Cena heel....

Anyways, hopefully this will be my last wrestling post for a while. It's just that this is the best time of the year because the writing as a whole is always so good (barring the occasion bad episode). I have never ordered WM, but if you plan on ordering it, live in Seattle and are a friend, let me know so I can come crash.

Monday Morning Five-Pack

Another day, another brain dump. Hope this starts your week off well.

• VCU and Butler are the exact reason I didn't put any money on my bracket for the second straight year...I have no long have reason to root for the Kansas' and Florida's of the world. I don't care how much the Rams and Bulldogs killed my bracket - I want to be able to root for them. By advancing to play each other in the National Semifinals they assured that there will be David vs Goliath match-up for the final. My interest in the tournament normally wanes after the first two rounds, but for the second straight year I will be excited to watch. So who is going to win? Butler looks tough, but after watching VCU celebrate - Jaime Skeen especially - I saw one thing. They are not happy just to make the Final 4 like George Mason was 5 years ago. No, they look focused and ready for bigger things. I liked the fire that I saw in their eyes.
• Opening Day in baseball is four days away. It's a wonderful day as all 30 fan bases will be dreaming of a World Series title. Most of those dreams go out the window within in a few weeks - afterall, the reality is that only 8-10 teams really have title hopes. I am not naive enough to think the Mets are a contender, but I do know that they have some good pieces. I do know that after all that has gone wrong the last 4 years that something has to break our way. I also know that their is a new attitude in camp - one that is completely refreshing compared to the old regime. We might not be able to win 90 games but I think we can certainly surprise people and have a winning record.
• After scoring the game tying goal against Argentina, Juan Agudelo, the 18 year old New York Red Bulls forward now has 2 goals in 3 career USMNT games. Even though he has only played in 3 games, is 18 years old and has less than one year of MLS experience, national team fans have already anointed him the new savior, following in the steps of Freddy Adu, Jozy Altidore and Charlie Davies. I get the excitement - he is young and exciting and provides a glimpse of what can be. We let a golden opportunity slip through our fingers in 2010, mostly because of a lack of scoring (no US striker has scored in the WC since 2002) and if we want to take the next step we need a striker who can score. Having a deep midfield is great, but it means nothing without goals. So yeah, it is important to find the next great striker...with that being said, I want to caution people to calm down. Agudelo is a great talent, but he is young. He can't legally buy alcohol. He should be attending his high school prom. Placing weighty expectations on someone so young can be crushing. Just ask Jozy Altidore, who while still being worthy of a starting spot has definitely not progressed as we all would have hoped. Let him get more games in NY and then a few more with the national team before we rate him as the next can't miss striker.
• I was going to do an entire Sounders write-up, but couldn't find the time over the weekend and now I have basically moved on to this Saturday's game. What I will say is that I love this team no matter how frustrating they are. That first half may have been the best I have ever seen them played. Again, they couldn't score, but their form was very very encouraging. While not on the score sheet yet, I think Fredy Montero is playing really well. Eric Friberg has certainly cemented his place in the starting 11 (at least in my mind) and Mauro Rosales is a breath of fresh air. The original story was that he was dropped from his Mexican team because he failed his physical, but new sources say that they signed him even though they were already at their limit of international players. He was made the scapegoat to save face and is apparently really eager to prove the reports wrong. The dude worked his ass off, quickly becoming a fan favorite (although J-Will reminded me that a goal would go even further in that right). Suddenly the midfield is even more crowded than we thought it would be. El Flaco is going to have to work to get his spot back and draft pick Michael Tetteh is no where to be seen. I would like to see a Zakuani-Alonso-Rosales-Friberg midfield this upcoming weekend (with Evans the first off the bench) to see what it has to offer.
• Finally, a few links for your Monday morning:

• Chad Ochocinco's trial with MLS' Sporting KC
• Gus Johnson calls various world history events
• The Gus Johnson sound board
• Dick Vitale killing VCU's selection into the tournament
• An Angry Birds movie trailer
• In honor of the new LeBron-Dwight McDonals commercial, here is the original
• My boy the Brockness Monster performing some trick shots
  

Friday Morning Five-Pack

It's been a few days since I've posted - no legitimate excuses besides getting back into Tony. Don't worry though, the break from writing hasn't meant a break from thinking about sports. I am trying to cut down on the number of brain dumps, but I think this warrants one. So let's get to it:

• Ok, so Sounders at home against Houston tonight. A lot has been written about this team after consecutive 1-0 losses. I continue to not be worried though...in fact, I think tonight is the night they break out. I think they put at least two in against Houston - we are too talented to continue to suck. Maybe it's Jaqua late in the game. Maybe it's Montero in amazing fashion. Maybe it's Ozzie on a long bomb. I don't know. I just feel good.
• The outrage over moving NFL kickoffs to the 35 continues to dumbfound me. Just the other day I was listening to Mike Golic and Merril Hoge kill the new proposal, saying it is going to hurt the game; make it less exciting; not help guard against injuries. I just don't see it - look, the goal of the rule is to help avoid injuries to not only the returners but to the guys who are getting blown up as they chase after them. With the growing number of players who are having their careers cut short because of concussions or knee injuries, I don't see why this is a bad thing. You know that, on second thought I'm not that dumbfounded...with nothing but respect to my level-headed football friends TGasp and DLib, this is a typical dumb jock response. Football players think they are invincible. Many at the pro level are willing to risk injury to get paid. Then after their career is over they can't walk or think straight. Guys, get over it...I know football is a macho sport, but you can be macho and protect yourself at the same time. Think how much better your life will be if you can actually enjoy the money you are making.
• It was a nice run for the Devils, but it looks like their playoff chances are done. I knew their run was too good to last, it is just sad that it ended this way - with losses to Ottawa and then a 4-0 loss to Boston. Man, if we could have only kept it up for another few games - Parise is back practicing this week. So where do we go from now? Check out the post from my boy Martin
• Here is a question I always think about - would you rather lose in the first round of the NCAA Tournament or win the NIT? Ultimately I think it has everything to do with your situation. If you are a senior laden team, then I think the NCAA Tournament is the way to go. If you're young and in need of games, then the NIT can definitely be a worthwhile experience. Look at WSU - I know the games don't really mean much, but their success in the NIT will have positive effects on the squad next year. They will gain not only extra playing time together, but confidence and experience in tense situations. I'm not sure UW would have gotten the same out of it - it would have been a major letdown considering their pre-season status. They needed to go the Big Dance even if they did lose to UConn.
• Finally, can we talk about the amazing run that Kris Humphries of the Nets is having? I don't want to credit anything to my girl Kim Kardashian, but wow, has Humprhries been a beast over the last few months (12.7 points and 13.8 boards a game since Feb 9). On Wednesday night, he had 23 rebounds, the most for any Nets player since 1999-2000, and is currently averaging 10.4 boards per game on the year (no Nets player has averaged double digits in boards in a decade). We all would have assumed Lopez would have been the double-double guy, but Humphries continues to do all the dirty work and many believe he is the reason for Lopez's numbers having gone down. I'm not concerned about that but rather what we are going to do at the end of the season with Humph. He is a free agent but so are Zach Randolph and David West, the two 'biggest' free agents in the class. Is this a one year thing (in 6 years previous he averaged only 3.5 boards) or did coming to Jersey finally bring out his full potential? I don't know the answer but am glad that I don't have to make the decision.

That's all I got for now. Enjoy the remaining Sweet 16 and Elite 8 match-ups, the US-Argentina friendly and any other MLS games that are on over the weekend.

Devils State of the Union

I got this email from the Crappy One the other day...enjoy
**************

I think they're done. they looked pretty tired last night. they have to rely too much on the failure of too many other teams while winning all of their remaining games. it's been a fun ride the last 2+ months and hopefully they'll be able to pick it up again in the fall. they're currently tied for 24th in the league, which means that as long as they don't get hot again they should be in line for a top 7 pick at least. this draft isn't exactly stacked but they should get something decent that high. just depends on what they decide they need. honestly, I don't really know what that is.

the post-rolston devils should have a top 6 that looks like this:
kovy-zajac-parise
tedenby-josefson-(clarkson/elias)

tallinder and volchenkov will be around for a while on D. my man-crush, john merrill, probably won't be in the nhl for 3 more years. white will probably get another contract which would impact my hope that he leaves. urbom will hopefully be a regular next season. I'd like to see greene resigned, too. fayne will probably be around because he's cheap and has been really good for a rookie this year. and I'm sure taormina will get another shot, but I'm not sold on him yet. too little time before his injury.

I really think that nugent-hopkins will be an all-star, maybe along the lines of mikko koivu, where if he's not the best player on your team, you'll be fine. adam larsson would be the ideal pick for them, but having played their way out of a the top 2, there's no way that happens unless they trade up. doug hamilton is supposed to be a big stay at hom angry defensive defenseman, but I have a gut feeling that he will end up too much like colin white. white was good before the eye injury, but definitely not worth that high a draft pick. sean couturier is supposed to be a jordan staal type with more of a scoring punch, which make for an awesome 3rd line center on the devils, or a good second line center on most other teams. ryan murphy is a puck-moving defenseman. from what I've read on the TSN boards, ryan strome and jon huberdeau (both centers) will be the 2 players that, in 5 years, everyone will say should have gone top 3 (with larsson) rather than where ever they end up. there's actually a pretty sick strome goal somewhere online. if you watch any of the tsn ranking videos you should see it there.

larsson keeps getting compared to lidstrom and probably better than hedman. very good offensive upside, but not great. very smart defensive upside, but not great. that's what the devils really need and have totally missed since the real neidermeyer left: a top defenseman that does plays both ends at an A- level or above. I think greene can do that (paul martin, too, although expectations for him were way fucked) at a B level. tallinder was supposed to do this at a B level, but that was before I realized I hate him, which was before I realized that I don't hate him but might consider punching him in the nuts out of principal anyway. 6 B dmen would be great, but that ain't happening. they have always relied too heavily on dmen that were only good at one thing. offensive dmen aren't great in their own end, defensive dmen could't make an out-going pass to save his life. so the hybrid version is what they really need.

I haven't looked at any of the goalie rankings at all. I guess they need to look at taking a D or C first overall and see how things play out. they need to stay away from the whole undersized forward thing. as much as I like tedenby, he needs to add about 10 lbs of muscle and 10 lbs of fat because he was just getting thrown around like an over-used cliche (you thought I would say thrown around like a rag-doll, didn't you?). it's been a little better lately, but I still think he might need to spend a summer in the keith tkachuk workout school.

of course, there's the whole goalie issue, too. they have a few in the system that are kind of highly regarded, but I don't know that any of them have really shown anything to make people think they can be full-time top goalies in the nhl. of course, having someone like brodeur is (was) a luxury but you don't need a superstar goalie to win anymore. niemi won it last year, fleury won it the year before. fleury sucks. lundqvist will keep the [censored] rangers from winning because he eats up too much cap space, which is fantastic. they could spend half as much on someone else to give them 80% of what queen henrik does and use that extra 3+ million to buy some more goals. this isn't to say that the drury and gaborik contracts aren't total albatrosses for that team, but I don't think they take enough flack for mismanaging their salary cap. everyone was on the devils for their issues earlier but the only reason the rags iced a full team was by demoting redden to hartford. they overpaid gaborik (too injured), drury, redden, lundqvist and, in my opinion, staal. he will be good but shouldn't have gotten the contract he did quite so soon.

I'm done ranting. whatever train of thought I had derailed somewhere and then I started thinking about how the rangers go to [censored] and shit.

********

The Crappy One then goes on to list the top 30 skaters in this years draft but I am going to cut that and let you find it for yourself if you are interested

Beach Soccer Update

In a follow-up from my Feb 22 post, I wanted to give a quick update on the Beach Soccer Club World Cup that is currently taking place in Brazil. The Sounders have been drawn into Group A with Sporting Lisbon (POR), Lokomotiv Moscow (RUS), Corinthians (BRA) and Santos (BRA). Through three matches we are 1-2 with a 3-2 loss to Moscow, a shootout loss to Corinthians and a 4-0 defeat of Lisbon. Our final game of the group stage is today against Santos.

Of the twelve games to have occurred over the first three days, 10 were decided by one goal or in shootout, meaning that all teams appear to be equally skilled. Still, I get the sense that Corinthians are the favorites while Lisbon is the weakest team in our group. (In Group B, Barcelona appears to be the favorite while Boca Juniors sit winless through three)

The top four teams advance to the quarterfinals, meaning that Seattle is virtually guaranteed of progressing to the knockout phase. I know that it's only beach soccer and I know that 8 of 10 teams make the playoffs, but advancing in an event with such powerhouse names would be a great accomplishment. Maybe the Beach Rave can come north and show the Qwest Rave how to score goals when the tournament is all over.

For more information, check out the Beach Soccer Club World Cup homepage.

Come On You Sounders!!!

Mistakes and Fouls in Wild NCAA Tournament

If you ever listen to Bill Simmons and Chuck Klosterman debate pro vs college basketball on a BS report podcast, you know that Simmons cannot be convinced that March Madness is better than the NBA playoffs. He says that the basketball is just better in the pros and that he doesn't want to watch sloppy play. It is an opinion that I have not really shared (until now). I mean, let's face it, March Madness is more dramatic and more exciting. You don't have George Mason making the Final 4 in the NBA. You don't have Butler coming within 2 inches of becoming the most unlikely National champion ever. You don't have any of that in the NBA.

One reason for this is that the pros simply don't make the mistakes that college players do. There is no reason for 8 seeds to ever beat a 1 seed. Say what you want about parity, but the fact is that an 8 seed is not even a top 25 team. They should not be able to beat a top 5 team. Yet it seems to happen every other year (including both in 2010 with Northern Iowa and this year with Butler).

I can't help but replay some of the huge mistakes in three of the weekend's games. First, let's talk about the Butler-Pitt game whose ending was simply stunning. Butler scored with 5 seconds left to go up 70-69. Pitt inbounds the ball to Gilbert Brown who before he can attempt a wild, last second, half-court is fouled by Butler senior Shelvin Mack. It was an amazingly stupid foul. After all, that shot is as low percentage as they come. It he hits the shot, you tip your cap and move on. But fouling him and essentially handing them the game is just unacceptable. Brown steps to the line and hits his first shot to tie the game at 70. He misses the next shot, Matt Howard grabs the rebound with 1.4 left and attempts to shoot a 90-footer for the win. He then gets FOULED - an even more inexplicable result than the former. You can blame Nasir Robinson for the foul or you can blame Jamie Dixon for having his players on the blocks. Whoever is to blame, you can't argue that this would ever happen in the NBA.

Next, in the Arizona-Texas game, the Longhorns were up by 2 points with 14.5 seconds left with the ball under their own basket. Instead of calling timeout when he was unable to find an open teammate, Corey Joseph got called for a 5 second violation. Arizona got the ball and put it in the hands of their All-American Derrick Williams who hit a shot and got fouled. Within a matter of seconds, the Longhorns went from being in control to being desperation mode. Again, not something you see in the pros.

Finally there was the UW game, a result that hurts even more because they are my team. I love that they are an exciting team. I love that they play fast and loose. I don't love that are terrible finishers. I don't love that they can't win tight games. Now I don't want to take any credit away from the Tar Heels - they hung in there all game - but we gave that game away. You knew the Heels were never going to go away and you knew that UW would have to be in top form down the stretch to beat them. Unfortunately for us, the Huskies got tight at precisely the wrong time and had their lead slip away. There wasn't one particular moment, but a bunch of them that compounded over time.

First, after going up 76-73, Justin Holiday didn't even make the Heels work when he lazily dribbled the ball into his defender. The next trip down was a mirror image as Isaiah Thomas also turned the ball over at half-court. Carolina went on a 7-0 run thanks to those blunders and the Huskies 5 missed shots/lay-ups. Then down 4 with under 2 minutes to go Terrence Ross repeated the feats of Holiday and Thomas earlier, leading to another Heels transition basket. That was the first time I officially knew we were done...yet the still fought on in spite of themselves. MBA hit a jumper with 1:36 left. Harrison Barnes missed a jumper and we had the chance to make it a one possession game. What happened? Well, Terrence Ross took an ill advised shot 8 seconds into the shot clock, after the Heels went up by 4 to stop any momentum. It wasn't that the shot was terrible, it was that it wasn't Thomas who was taking the shot. Finally with 17 seconds left, Scott Suggs hit a 3 to bring the score to 84-83. We had a legitimate shot, especially after Kendal Marshall missed his foul shot. Down by one, 5 seconds left...Isaiah on the court. It had the makings of some more late game heroics...and then the biggest mistake of them all occurred. Justin Holiday was unable to inbound the ball as he lazily tried to throw it over some dude with like an 8 foot wingspan. There were no ball fakes - just a straight up throw to the backcourt that never had a chance. With that the Huskies season came to and end. We had 13 possessions after being up by 3 and we turned the ball over 5 times, missed 8 shots and scored 7 points. It was another terrible mental breakdown by the Huskies and another sign of how much this team has to learn.

All three games were examples of how vastly superior the NBA game is. That is not to say that I prefer watching it, though. For me, the NCAA Tournament is so fun to watch because of the emotion; because of the ups and downs; because of the suspense and intrigue. The NCAA Tournament should be embraced for what it is - a competition where any team can win on any given day (well, except for the 16 seeds which may never happen) that is played by imperfect men. Part of the suspense is because kids make stupid mistakes. In the NBA, if you are inbounding the ball with 15 seconds left and you are up by two, the chances of you losing the game are slim. It makes it almost boring...but in the imperfect world of NCAA basketball, anything can and will happen.

Instant (Over)Reaction: Red Bulls

Another game, another 1-0 loss for the Sounders. I have tried to sit and think of what to say, but I don't really have much. You see, I am of the belief that you are supposed to lose on the road. You win at home and look for ties on the road, especially when your opponent is one of the top teams in the league, as I believe NY is. So I am not overly concerned with a 1-0 loss to the Red Bulls in their home opener. And it's not like we were given any favors with our schedule.

While I am not going to panic, I do think we all need to be concerned with the lack of scoring. It is starting to sound like a broken record. We create chances, we just can't seem to score. Two games, two back-up keepers, 0 goals. We have made Josh Saunders and Greg Sutton look like All-Star keepers by shooting right at them. Ok, maybe they both made a nice save or two, but the Sounders should have been able to get at least one past them.

After the game was off, we turned on the Colorado-Portland game in hopes that the Timbers ineptness could make us feel better (Which luckily it did). What The Wife took away from the game was how Portland played with reckless abandon. She felt that they were playing with a chip on their shoulder...that they had had nothing to lose and that they were saying eff-you to the world. She said that she wished the Sounders played that hard.

I couldn't agree more with her assessment. Now, part of the reason the Timbers play that way is because they hate all the attention Seattle has gotten over the past two years...the other part is that they simply aren't that skilled. They have something to prove, just like the Sounders did in 2009. I think we all agree that this current Sounders team is more talented than the one in 2009. I think we can also agree that it is less hungry than the one in 2009.

I think this all goes into my theory that this team is a one-trick pony. We are uber-talented and can control the flow of play, but when things go wrong, we have no other ideas how to score goals. We never seem to play with reckless abandon. We don't score ugly goals and we have no change of pace coming off the bench. Instead, we have Roger Levesque, one of the few people who continues to work hiss ass off as if this was 2009, Lamar Neagle, Mauro Rosales and Miguel Montano. All fine players, but not any one I feel comfortable in to score a goal. I'm sorry - it's just not going to happen.

I know that regaining their hunger isn't going to make this team win games - as my boy Irish Mike says, it's all about finding a striker - but it would at least make me feel a little better. They will probably still make the playoffs, but these scoring droughts are enough to drive me crazy. I would love to see them change their style and bang some bodies, throw some elbows, and make their opponent make a mistake. You know, the same thing that Juninho and Juan Agudelo benefited from...come on guys, let's get some goals.

I'm not jumping off a bridge yet, but we need some goals this Friday against Houston

******************

Taking a step back, overall I thought we looked pretty well. I think highly of NY this year and was expecting a big time loss. Besides the two hiccups that resulted in the PK (great save Kasey!!) and the Agudelo goal I thought our defense played well. I also thought our midfield was really solid, but I am concerned about El Flacco being pulled again so early.

Playing to the Average

id you know that the start of the baseball season is only two weeks away? Yeah, me neither. With March Madness, the Devils march to the playoffs (which is now dead), the lead-up to Wrestlemania and of course the start of the Sounders season going on over the past two weeks, I have almost forgotten about the Mets. Ok, maybe that's not the entire truth - I do still read metsblog.com on a daily basis - but it definitely hasn't been my #1 focus.

I do plan on putting my thoughts on the upcoming season into a post...however, I am going to let that wait a bit. What I want to do now is go over something Terry Collins said a week or so ago. When asked about his offense, he basically said that if the offense can play to the average on the back of their baseball cards then they are going to be a powerhouse. It's an interesting concept, especially since we have seen some of the best years (2006 - Wright, Reyes, Beltran) as well as some of the worst years (2009 - Wright, 2010- Beltran, Reyes) for our core guys. It's easy to say how good we will be if they have monster years, but what about just average years? Well, in terms of runs scored, here is what I found, starting with the number of games for each player:

• For the ironman David Wright, I assume 155 games.
• For Jason Bay, Ike Davis and Angel Pagan I assume 150 games.
• For Jose Reyes I assume 130 games.
• For Daniel Murphy I assume he wins the 2b job and plays in 130 games.
• For Josh Thole I assume 100 games; Ronnie Paulino 50 games.
• For Carlos Beltran, I assume only 90 games.
• For reserves Scott Hairston and Willie Harris I assume 80 games .
  

I think all of the estimates are appropriate. Wright is going to go 155 and I expect Jason Bay to be back to his normal durable self. I am not naive enough to think Reyes goes 150 but he should get 130. Beltran is the wild card so I went conservative. I think Murphy plays well enough in the field to warrant 130 games.

With the above averages, we estimate 636 total runs amongst the 11 players, broken down in the following way:
Wright (99), Bay (93), Reyes (89), Davis (74), Pagan (70), Beltran (61), Murphy (54), Hairston (29), Harris (29), Thole (21), Paulino (17)

Now looking at the past five years, outside of the top 11 hitters, the Mets reserves have scored an average of 120 runs. If you add that to the 636, you get 756 runs, which is higher than the past two years. When examination the association between runs and wins for the Mets over the past 20 years it predicts about 84 wins on the year.

I think that the numbers for Thole and Murphy are probably a little conservative but they probably will cancel out the number for Beltran who I really expect nothing from. So overall, yeah, if they play to their average they will be much better on offense than last year. However, they will still be well below the 2006 squad who scored 839 runs. Average will be nice, but above-average will be needed to contend.

Should Have Seen It Coming...

Ouch. That is the only word to describe the ass-whooping we just received from UConn. It was not pretty. It was not even close to pretty (ok, I take that back. It was 27-20 before UConn went on a 28-5 run). It was so bad I actually left the bar with 17 minutes left in the game...

When I take a step back and think about it rationally, it is the correct result. I mean, #3 seeds are supposed to beat #14 seeds (since 1985 #14 seeds are 16-88). It is just what happens. Still, this one stings. My initial reaction to seeing us playing UConn was 'oh, shit. we're in trouble' and yet in the hours after the bracket was announced, I decided to talk myself into the reasons why we could win. Hell, I told all of you 6 reasons why we could get it done. The problem was that I forgot to mention all the reasons why we couldn't get it done. Now I could go over all the reasons, but the basic truth is that UConn is a hell of a team and even though they just won 5 games in 5 days, there was no way Calhoun was going to let them come out flat.

Over the first 5 minutes I honestly thought we belonged. Our shots weren't falling but there wasn't one second where I thought we were being outclassed. Sure our defense wasn't good, but I figured that UConn had to cool down sometime. I mean, you can't shoot that well against a good team for the entire game....and then it smacked me in the face....Bucknell isn't a good team (to be fair, we are good, just not UConn good). UConn was having their way not because they were hot - they were having their way because they are better.

Moments like this remind you what it is like to be a fan. Against all odds, you convince yourself you are going to win. Even if you know the odds are stacked against you, it still hurts when you lose. No matter how long this game is played, Bucknell is always going to be the underdog. We are always going to have a crooked number next to our name. Yet, the amazing success that we had in 2005 and 2006 made me think that we were suddenly big time...that anytime we made it to the tournament we were going to win. And that is the real beauty in the ass-whooping we took. It makes you realize how special that 2005 team was. I'm not saying that the 2006 team that earned a 9 seed wasn't special - they were flat out good, as evident by the high seed. No, the 2005 team was special because no one believed in us. Hell, no one had even heard of us. So winning was extra extra special. I honestly thought this team could bring back the glory, but in the end, we knew our role and took a beating.

Tomorrow when I wake up I am going to feel differently than I feel right now. I am going to realize that this is not the last of Bucknell. The fact is that we return 4 of our starters including the amazing Sophomore trio of Mike Muscala, Bryson Johnson and Joe Willman as well as freshman Cameron Ayers. If anything, we probably overachieved this year. Our destiny was to win in 2011-12 and 2012-13, so this appearance was a bonus. It will prepare us for next year. It will be good for us. No way Muscala forgets the feeling of losing by 29. No way any of the returning players forget what it feels like to be humbled...they are going to come out and dominate the league again.

So, yes, we got our asses kicked, but in the long run it might be good for us. Or at least that is what I am talking myself into believing.

Random Thoughts..

...as I 'babysit' my daughter and watch some college hoops.

1. Is it weird that CBS is going with the TNT guys as their halftime show? Are they just trying to show some teamwork or do they just not like their normal studio hosts?
2. I always get annoyed at sports commercials that are not realistic. The most obvious is always the Buffalo Wild Wings but I just found another one that pisses me off. The Miller Lite skinny jeans commercial - I get the premise that the guy needs to man up, but come on, he can't be that dumb can he? No self-respecting sports fan says the lower score first...its 32-21 not 21-32. Oh wait, maybe it is meant to be that way. I'm so confused...
3. This is by far the best sports day of the year
4. This Kenneth Faried guy from Morehead St is really exciting to watch. 12 boards in the first half - well ahead of his average. Too bad for the Eagles that he is only 3-13 from the field..
5. About 4 hours til Bucknell. Come on boys, let's shock the world again
   

Instant (Over)Reaction: Galaxy

Apparently I am having a hard time getting going this morning as evidence by having erased my opening paragraph four times (and it's not even 8am yet). Basically the story is this: Sounders were back in action last night. Before the game the team released Blaise N'kufo. During the game a lot of rain fell. After the game we left disappointed with the loss, but very surprised with the ride home. I want to offer my thoughts on the game as well as give you comments from both The Wife and Irish Mike. It's an attempt to give you, my JerseySounder readers more analysis on the team we all love (well, unless you're here solely to read The Crappy One's posts on the Devs (who won again last night)).

First, let's start with Irish Mike, who apparently made someone at Google mad having his comments rejected three times (sorry Mike!):

• Am a little worried about the Sounders, no striker = no championship for us I'm afraid. Hard to understand the Nfuko situation, I mean what the hell, could we have any worse timing than 90 minutes before our season opener? I blame Blaise, the front office and Sigi for this mess. Its what the f’ing pre-season is for, find out who we are and what we need. Roy Keane was a gifted player but a mindless yob most of the time for Ireland and Man U, but he had one nugget of wisdom “Fail to prepare, prepare to fail”. I think the management team have not prepared us right, to not see this situation coming is amateur at best and leaves us with little options. Anyway, too tired after that to rewrite a full synopsis of what I think our probs are, there were some positives tonight but we still have issues, and need to sort them out if we want to be serious about a title run.

Now on to The Wife who had these comments in the car this morning:

• I need O'Brien White to be stronger. I can't have him being weaker than Fredy. He needs to hit the gym because he was getting knocked off the ball very often. He's not rolling around like Fredy used to, but he is not holding on to the ball either way.
• I think Fredy might need to be pulled back a little into more of an attacking midfield role. White looks to be faster than Fredy, so let White roam around up front and let Fredy distribute to the wings more.
  
• Along with having Fredy move back a bit, we need more overlapping runs. I saw a few from Riley and Zakuani last night and each time they resulted in good crosses. There was a little too much kick and run last night and it's just not effective with the size of our players. Our distribution out of the back needs improvement.
• Our defense didnot look sharp. But then again, nothing about the game was particularly sharp. It was a bit ugly out there.
• White, Montero and Friberg were all in each others business. They had no chemistry out there.
• Having Fredy is a blessing and a curse. He is highly skilled and does a lot for this team, but it seems like players take a while to get use to playing with him. By giving him the DP designation you basically are telling any incoming players that he is going to be the focus. If you are going to bring in a veteran, he needs to be humble and secure with himself. Right now we have a really young team and no experience. It's built around Fredy so picking the right players is crucial to our success.
• We kept getting chances and Sigi is right - they will be worried once the chances stop coming.
  

And finally my comments:

• I want to start off by saying that we shouldn't rush to panic quite yet. There were some good and bad things from last night, but we need to remember that we played one of the best teams in the league in our opening match. They are going to make teams look bad, even if they didn't play at a high level. Sometimes you look bad because your opponents make you look bad. LA is simply making us look bad recently - I credit a lot of it to the fact that they are a veteran team that has seen it all. they are not going to be afraid of Steve Zakuani because most of them have faced tons of players like him overseas. And I'm not sure next game will be a fair assessment of where we are either as we have to travel to Red Bull Arena and take on NY on Saturday. Sure a statement win would have been nice, but I don't want to panic yet.
• With that being said, let's talk about this whole N'kufo mess. Look, I was one of N'kufo's biggest supporters last year. Many perceived him as a failure because he didn't score for like 10 games, but I thought it was the little things he did that made us better. Then something happened this pre-season where I started to get down on him. The accounts varied...some say he was hurt; others said age finally caught up with him. Something just seemed fishy. Then over the course of 6 hours we found out that not only was he not going to start but that he was gone from the team altogether. According to Kiro710, Nkufo and Sigi apparently had an incident at practice in which Nkufo made it known how unhappy he was with the team's style. He asked for a trade and while it seems crazy that his release happened 90 minutes before gametime, in reality it was a blessing as it would have cost them had it lingered and flared up later in the season. NOw we can move on and hopefully sign Mauro Rosales with some of the leftover money.
• That brings me to my point: I agree with Mike in that the Front Office and Sigi are to blame on this one. We have had two big name players in our existence and both left the team unhappy. The Ljungberg signing seemed like an epic fail the minute that I saw him on the field. The hoopla surrounding him was great -he did a ton to help grow the support of the team, but in the end, he never fit Sigi's style (not surprising since Sigi was not coach when Ljungberg was brought aboard.) I expected him to leave town early, but I really thought N'kufo was different. He seemed a lot more humble at first and I had not heard any rumblings about him ever being a problem. Yet at the end of the day, he never seemed to fit. So what's the story? Do we need to blame scouting? Are Hanauer and Sigi not on the same page in terms of vision? Did we simply get sucked in by the big name? Something needs to change. Someone has blood on their hands.
• Now in terms of the team, it wasn't like this was their first rodeo of the 2011season. They have been in preseason for a month. A month and yet they lacked chemistry. It wasn't like White had never played with Montero. To have them look so out of place, even with the news about Nkufo is a little concerning.

A few final notes:

• The crowd was a bit off for some reason
• The uniforms don't look horrible from our seats, but on tv, they look hideous.
• Friberg had a really solid night except for the one turnover that led to the Galaxy goal.
• Besides the faux-breakaway, Donovan did nothing last night. Kudos to James Riley for effectively shutting him down.
• Great having El President back out there.
• Zakuani certainly looked like he was just coming back from a week off.
• Finally, I can't believe how thin we are all of a sudden. In pre-season I thought we had an amazing chance to win at least one trophy because of our depth, but after injuries to Fucito, Evans, Jaqua and the release of Nkufo, we had Lamar Neagle and Miguel Montano as our 2nd and 3rd guys off the bench. Congrats to Neagle for making his debut -he is a great story, but not once did I think he would make the difference. As for Montano, the guy didn't even play in the pre-season game against Vancouver (and we played our entire second team!).

We need to shake this one off and be prepared for another tough game against the Red Bulls this weekend. In the past the team has shown the ability to bounce back on the road after a tough home defeat and we are going to need a little of that magic this weekend. Come On You Sounders!!!

My Favorite 2010 Sounders Goals

In my previous post I told of my concerns for the 2011 Sounders. I realize it was a bit of a downer, so I wanted to provide something to be excited about...how about my list of 5 favorite Fredy Montero goals of 2010 as well my list of 5 favorite non-Fredy goals of 2010. These are not meant to necessarily be the best goals, but hold a special place in my heart for I how felt after having seen them.

Fredy Montero goals:

1. Houston, August 8 - This my favorite of 2010 because it showed just how much Fredy had matured since 2009. If that was his first year he would have been rolling on the ground with the slightest hint of contact. Instead he uses his strength to hold off Eddie Robinson, turns and beats Pat Onstad.
2. New York, May 15 - One of the rare road games on this list, this goal was pure brilliance. Instead of sulking because he had to sit on the bench, Fredy scored the game winner late against the Red Bulls. Anyone who plays any kind of rec ball knows how difficult a running chest-thigh trap combo is...this goal was pure class.
3. Chicago, August 28 - Part of me loves this goal because of Arlo's call. Part of me loves it because of the significance to the season. Part of me loves it because I called it the second after it left Sturgis' foot. And still, part of me loves it because it took the spotlight away from the other Freddie.
   
4. New England, June 5 - This goal just felt good because it came on the end of a 3 goal explosion in the first half. The hesitation stutter step was subtle and really effective.
5. FC Dallas, April 22 - This would have been rated higher because of the difficulty but the game was on the road and I was at a wedding.

And now some non-Fredy goals:

1. Leo Gonzalez vs New England - I felt the same way about this goal as I did about Nate Jaqua's goal vs Columbus in 2009 (3:19 mark in the clip). When he struck the ball time seemed to stand still. The stadium went quiet in anticipation. The result did not disappoint. Sublime.
2. Mike Fucito vs Kansas City - Fucito still relatively unknown by the common fan (but a legend to the hardcore) when he hit this game winner in stoppage time. It happened so quickly we weren't ready for it. Arlo's call (of course I watch every game again on tv) was possibly his best of the year...and the celebration was great (if not awkward)
3. Steve Zakuani vs New England - Volley. Enough said.
4. Blaise N'kufo vs Columbus - His third goal of the day was the most skilled even though he made it look easy. Zakuani gets a lot of credit for the run, but N'kufo gets more credit for easily bending the ball outward to the upper 90.
5. (tie) Roger Levesque vs DC and Steve Zakuani vs Chivas - Roger's goal was on the road, but epitimized everything we like about him: Scoring big goals and putting himself in danger by trying a diving header with a foot coming at him. Steve's goal looks simple, but I loved how he stayed on his feet after getting sandwiched rather than taking a dive.

Last post of the day before tonight's game. I hope to have a list of reasons to be excited to counteract the reasons to be concerned but I imagine that will be contingent on how we do tonight...

My Sounder Concerns

Well, it has been an exciting few days. First their was Bucknell punched their ticket to the dance. The next day UW followed suite. Then last night, The Crappy One came out of hiding with not 1 but 2 blog entries. With the Devils remaining on their hot streak and the Nets on a 5-game winning streak with a win at home over the Celtics, it is has been an amazing few days. Lost in all this awesomeness is the fact that the Sounders, a team who led to the creation of this blog, have their first game of the 2011 season tonight.

It is a day I have been waiting for since late October. And yet, I find myself sitting here Tuesday morning not as excited as I should be. At first I thought it was because my Bison love was overshadowing my Sounder love. But that's not it. I love all my teams equally. My next thought was that the anticipated rain was making me soft; that I didn't want to stand and be miserable all night. But that's not it either. I can handle the rain. hell, I've played soccer in the rain for two straight days.

So what is it then? It took me a while to come to the conclusion: I am feeling a little scared. It's funny because yesterday I wrote about how I believed in the Bison against all odds. I opined how they were going to win even though no one in America thinks that way. Yet when I think about the 2011 Sounders, a team that has higher expectations, I am not feeling the same belief.

I think it stems from the fact that the first two seasons were like a fairy tale. Two playoff appearances. Two US Open Cup titles. Highest attendance. Model of success. They still haven't accomplished all of there goals yet so there is something to strive for. They are only in their third year yet all I hear about is how this has to be the year they win MLS Cup; that this is the last year of their championship window; that the core will be broken up if they don't win. This is certainly a fresh attitude to have - I mean, in a way it's nice to have a team tell its fans that it is committed to winning and that playoffs appearances aren't good enough. That's all nice, but I just feel uneasy about the whole thing. Announcing such lofty goals in preseason will only intensify the pressure on the team all season and I have real concerns whether they handle it.

Let's go through my concerns:

• I am concerned that Keller might be starting to show his age. He has looked a little shaky on several occasions both last year and then in the Cascadia Summit against Portland
• I always want more from Montero. Don;t get me wrong, the kid is oozing talent and puts together some nice spells, but where was he the past two years in the playoffs?
• N'kufo does not look any faster this year. I am hopeful that he is simply going through the motions in pre-season and that he will be the holding forward we need, but I am definitely concerned that he won't be
• I am concerned that we lack a creative center midfielder. Look, I'm a big Brad Evans fan but I will need to see him get back to pre-USA camp Brad Evans before ruling out whether Friberg or Rosales as potential starters
• I am concerned that match congestion due to CONCACAF Champions League and US Open Cup will have a negative impact on our legs
• I am very concerned that Terry Boss is one injury from being our starter
  
• I am concerned that we will continue to play attractive soccer and that we will be happy when we lose but control the pace of the game. I love that we play great soccer, but sometimes I feel that we don't know how to win ugly.
• Mainly I am concerned that everything will come to an end. I am not suggesting in any way that I will stop supporting them in bad times - hell, I'll support them more in the bad times. I am just worried that 2011 is the year that the good times come to an end. That is something that I don't want
  

With all that being said, we are crazy talented. We are super deep. We have an accomplished coach. We should be a lot of fun to watch. Come On You Sounders!!!

(oh, and for Sounders season previews, check out the amazing job that Dave Clark does at SounderatHeart. For overall MLS previews, Ives is the guy to go to. I had planned on doing a preview but other things got in the way)

Life is good.

I don’t know the last time I’ve been this excited about sports. I mean, it’s been years. Recent playoff collapses by the Devils (including eliminations by the homos and the other homos) and the seemingly never-ending grind of a baseball season and that stupid super bowl where the 3rd string, out of work receiver caught a pass on his helmet after the 1 fucking time that Eli “not good enough to carry Peyton’s jock strap” manning doesn’t fall down under pressure. That one blew. The ridiculousness of the off-season Kovalchuk debacle was just miserable, too.

But right now... right now is different. Let’s recap:

1. The Devils are awesome. Fucking awesome, in fact. See below.

2. I usually get giddy once spring training is under way. What’s different this year is that I was really excited by the Red Sox off-season moves. The last time I was excited by their off-season was when they traded for Josh Beckett. I know the implications of that were trading away one of the best short-stops in the league, but I don’t think Hanley wins them the 2007 world Series (and the Mike Lowell as a salary-cutting throw in was fantastic as well, but less exciting at the time). Prior to trading for Adrian Gonzalez, I was really hoping they might be able to trade for Prince Fielder. But after reading up on Gonzalez, I couldn’t be happier that he’s with the Sox , likely for years to come. I think I’d much rather have him than Teixiera, although he’s nothing to slouch at. By the way, I’m really happy that he said he wouldn’t waive his no trade clause under any circumstances, essentially keeping the Yanks from signing Albert Pujols as their new first baseman (I suppose they could bring him and have them split time at first and DH, which would be pretty scary, actually…). You know what, forget I ever mentioned Teixiera and think about how great it is they still have AJ Burnett.

I’m really getting into the Youkilis, Pedroia, Gonzalez infield of the future (along with shortstop du jour). I’ve been high on Lester since his rookie year. I think Beckett and Ellsbury will both bounce back to some degree. Buccholz is proving that the team was right not to trade him for Victor Martinez. And oh yeah, in case you missed it, we signed that Carl Crawford fellow as well, which, if nothing else, is great because we don’t have to have him run on us anymore.

Anyway, I’m really happy with the team, even though we lost Martinez and his handshakes. Even with John Lackey and Dice-K. Even with the Varitek/Salty catching tandem. Yes, even with the soul-sucking at-bat of misery that is JD Drew.

Even after re-reading that last sentence, yes, I am still excited. I’m sure it will wane at some point, maybe around game #622, but right now… it’s all good.

3. Who’s going to fill out their Women’s NCAA tournament bracket? I’m not going to, but I do plan on amusing myself with plenty of jokes about said bracket and that’s really all that matters.

(Actually, the only turd in my punchbowl is the fact that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman just received a contract extension. Yes, I believe David Stern implanted him to ruin the league, consequently raising the NBA to the undisputed #3 sport. I truly hate that count chocula-looking bastard as he makes me hate the NHL, even though I love ice hockey)

Welcome home, excitement. I’m glad you and sports could finally meet up again and return to my life.

Holy Crap, the Devils are at .500

Yes, for the first time all season, the Devils (formerly known as the Woeful Devils or last in the league Devils) have won as many games as they lost (of course this doesn't apply to games lost in OT because they still received a point which is kind of dumb and then there's the whole shootout thing which is another piece of crap itself).

And since the retardation of the system actually favors my team here, I'm going to say they are at .500 and be done with it. suck it.

At any rate, the Devils have been playing amazing. My 2 favorite Devils, Travis Zajac (2 PP goals, GWG) and Mattias Tedenby (2A, +3), came up huge in the last 2 games, both must-wins for the team. Actually, they’re all must-wins, but I’m just saying… Plus, Tedenby drew the penalty which lead to the game-tying goal at Atlanta. In both games, they came back from 2-1 to win in overtime. In the past, I would have expected them to blow both games, generally by tying it up first and then letting it slip away, but this time was different. Watching them, you could tell there was no way they were letting those crucial wins slip away from them.

They have played with the intensity and drive that you absolutely need heading into the playoffs. Assuming they can actually make it in, which is not so far-fetched anymore, they would be devastating. I don’t think there’s any team that would want to play them, much like the homos, er, flyers last year. They snuck in on the last day, ended up losing in the Cup finals. If the Devils make it, I think they could easily win it all. The last few years, I’ve always felt like they had the team to win it all, that they could win it all. Honestly, the fan in me probably deluded myself enough to see past their flaws. But this year (literally this year because they’ve only played this way since early January), I really feel like the eastern conference is theirs. Once again, assuming they can make it to the playoffs.

Tedenby was recently paired up with Jacob Josefson, a center from Sweden who was drafted with the intention of having them play on a line together and David Clarkson. I love this line. I wish it happened sooner and I hope they keep clicking (both Clarkson and Josefson had 1g, 1a against the Isles on Saturday, the one where Tedenby had 2a). Speaking of Swedes, I don't even want to punch Henrik Tallinder anymore.

They will have a huge game against the rags on the next-to-last game of the season which could be the deciding factor. I don’t think I could describe the elation if that win is the one to get them in. As a bonus, if that happens, chances are the rags will not make it.

But even if they don’t make it, they have made hockey fun again. Even in the past few seasons when they have done very well in the regular season, it hasn’t felt like this. Although that might be a result of their recent playoff struggles. Maybe I was used to a certain level of success, such that I wouldn’t get excited until they reached the next level, only they never got there. Watching them bottom out, though, has changed a lot. Watching them play with that fire lately, watching them play like they don’t want to make excuses about bad breaks or injuries or whatever, watching them want to win… just awesome.

The only down-side is that I think I was too optimistic with most of my over/unders from a few weeks ago and will probably end up losing all of those. I guess this proves I don't know dick, although that is still more than ESPN's Scott Burnside, or Douchy McDickface, as he's known in and around Newark. Newark, DE, that is. I can't even tell you what they think of him in Newark, NJ because Schmick's blog would be removed by the internet police.

We Can Do It

This is what being a fan is all about: Bucknell, the tiny private liberal arts university in central Pennsylvania with only 2 NCAA tournament wins, facing off against UConn, the Big East heavyweights with 2 national titles in the past 15 years. It is a match-up that 9 out of 10 times will be won by UConn. It is a match-up that based on talent should be won by UConn. In terms of athleticism and pure skill, no one on the Bucknell team should even be holding Kemba Walker's jock strap. And that is what makes this so perfect.

Six years ago we exploded onto the national scene with a one point win over 3-seed Kansas. It was an amazing game that still to this day ranks as my best sports memory. Ultimately we did not make the Sweet 16 that year, but for a team that had never won a tournament game; for a league that had never won a tournament game and for a school that everyone expected to roll over and played scared it was a watershed moment. The following year was even better as the Bison finished the regular season at 23-4, earned themselves a 9 seed and again beat a higher ranked opponent, Arkansas. Two straight years of beating the big boys with inferior talent.

Here we sit again. Five years later, getting even less respect than before. To be fair, it's not because people think less of the Bison, but simply because they think very highly of UConn. This is a team that amidst low expectations won the Maui Invitational by beating highly-ranked Michigan St and Kentucky. This is a team that was 17-2 on Jan 25. This is a team that just won 5 games in 5 days to win the Big East Tournament, a tournament that some say was more difficult a test than what they face in the NCAA Tournament. Simply put, this is a team that should beat Bucknell.

With all that being said, being a fan is about believing that above all odds, your team can get the job done. When it comes to Bucknell, I am that fan who can rationalize reasons why we can win (hell, we did it before, why not again?). Here are the reasons I have come up with as to why we CAN win:

1. History is on our side. The last team to win at least 4 games in 4 days to win the Big East Tournament was Syracuse in 2006. Led by an amazing individual performance by Gerry McNamara, Syracuse entered the conference tournament as a 9 seed (7-9 in conference) and a solid bubble team for the NCAA Tournament. Four days later they won the conference and were given a 5 seed that in hindsight was WAY to high. In the first round they were sluggish and lost to 12th ranked Texas A&M. UConn can certainly come out sluggish and underestimate the Bison.
2. One area that Bucknell has the advantage is in foul shooting where we rank 3rd nationally at 78.6%. If it is a close game look for BU to have the advantage.
3. There is a huge drop-off between Walker (23.5 ppg) and the team's second leading scorer, Jeremy Lamb (10.8 ppg). If Bucknell is somehow able to make Walker uncomfortable; if they are able to contain him; if for some reason he just has a bad day, I have to wonder where the scoring will come from.
4. The Huskies are just as inexperienced as Bucknell. After Walker (JR), the next 5 players in terms of minutes per game are all Sophomore's or Freshman. While UConn is always a powerhouse, it's not like any of their current players were around for those big games. They will be no better served for the NCAA Tournament than we will be.
5. We are familiar with playing Big East opponents - Nova and Marquette in 2011, Notre Dame in 2010. Sure all three games were losses, but all three were on the road in an environment that is way more hostile than what they will see in DC where geographically they will be the home team.
6. UPDATED - We are 7th in the nation in 3-point shooting (40.2%) while UConn is 226th (33.2%). This is another area of strength that we can hopefully take full advantage of.
   

So there are 6 reasons why we CAN win. Now the reason why we WILL win:

1. Belief. I believe in this team. T-Wetz, C-Steb, Stollercoaster, Gorman, The Wife, Mikey MLF and all of my fellow Bison believe in this team. All my non-Bison (D-Lib, Hopper, J-Will, The Mayor, Irish Mike) believe in this team. It is going to happen. We are going to shock UConn.

Double Dancing

The past 72 hours have felt like basketball bliss for me. First on Thursday night, UW exercised some demons in a 89-88 win over the Cougs. In a game where Klay Thompson put up 42, the Dawgs overcame a sluggish start and held on to win. Combined with an Oregon win over UCLA, the road to the Pac-10 Final was made a little easier.

Then on Friday afternoon, my Bison led wire to wire to make it back to the NCAA Tournament. It was a glorious game. By my side were both my beautiful wife and my beautiful daughter both in there orange and blue BU sweats. When they won we danced and sang and it was glorious beyond belief.

The game itself was a little closer than I would have liked. It was a five point game at halftime and even though we were still up by 5 with about 10 minutes left I started to get real nervous - I mean, Lafayette was pressuring us and we weren't handling it well. In fact we had just gone scoreless for six and a half minutes and crazy thoughts started going through me head. Could we actually blow this? Could our amazing season be all for naught? Could we actually lose? Then in an instance, GW Boon drove the lane and hit Mike Muscala with a bounce pass right as the defense was closed down on him. It was the tension cutting bucket we needed. We went on a 10-4 run and never looked back. In the end, we won 72-57 and the orange clad fans rushed the court. I may be 3000 miles away but damn it kind of felt like I was there with them.

Then tonight I watched my Huskies take down the 13th ranked Arizona Wildcats in OT. Zona led for most of the first half and I just had this feeling that while we were hanging around, we wouldn't be able to finish the job. And then it happened: the Huskies found the heart that I was asking for. It was in the form of Isaiah Thomas (28 points, 7 assists, 5 boards) who would not let the team lose. UW was down 4 with 32 seconds left when Thomas hit a three. Then down 4 with 19 seconds left, he drove the lane and found a wide open Terrence Ross in the corner for a three. With 10 seconds left, he repeated the feet when he drove and found CJ Wilcox in the other corner for the game tying three. The Huskies were going to OT. Thomas, Bryan-Amaning and N'Diaye all had 4 fouls so it would definitely be a tough 5 minutes.

In OT, Arizona hit a three to tie with 20 seconds and the ball was put in Thomas' hands for the final shot. I normally hate it when UW holds the ball til late in the shot-clock - they never get a good shot off and are always better when they shoot early. However, with 20 seconds left, you knew the best option was for IT to win it. With the ball at the top of the key he took a step in, step back and drained the fadeaway as time expired. There is no reason to wait around to see if we get in as an at-large - we are going dancing.

I called this team out as recently as two weeks ago. After losing to the Cougs I called them soft. I said they had no heart. But I also said I expected them to win the Pac-10 Tournament. It seemed like something this team could do. I mean, they have the weapons to score a lot of points. With that firepower winning 3 games in 3 days is more than possible. And with how up and down this team has been, it's not surprising.

So now we get to sit back and wait to see what the fates hold for both teams. For Bucknell, probably a 12-14 seed and a date with a top 15-program. For UW probably a 8-10 seed and a winnable first round game followed by a real test against a top 5 team in the second round. But that is in the future - for now, I am going to enjoy having both my teams in the Big Dance.

Post-SBTB Success

My boy Mill Freek (aka The Mayor) and I spent 20 minutes discussing our favorite Saved by the Bell episodes ("I'm So Excited" still ranks as my favorite) on Wednesday night. It was one of my favorite conversations of the past two years and one that got me thinking about what the Super Six have done since it went off the air in 1993. To help rank them in terms of success I did a little IMDBing...here are my official rankings.

6. Dustin Diamond - Not only has Screech not done anything of worth since leaving SBTB, he has no redeeming qualities. A sex tape, some chess videos, an appearance on Celebrity Fit Club, some random tv movies and an role on SBTB: The New Class is nothing to write home about.

5. Lark Voorhies - I honestly cannot believe I am ranking Lisa below Jessie, but the fact is she has done NOTHING since a 1999 tv series with LL Cool J. Maybe she is happy with her life away away from the spotlight, but that won't help her here.

4. Elizabeth Berkley - After SBTB she took her clothes off in the ultra-slimy Showgirls and played a hooker in Any Given Sunday. She has also had bit roles in CSI, CSI: Miami, Law & Order and The L Word.

3. Mark-Paul Gosselaar - After falling on some hard times immediately following his time at Bayside, Mark-Paul rebounded with a highly successful stint on NYPD Blue and has had supporting roles on seveeral other tv series since. He is quietly making a solid career for himself.

2. Tiffani (Amber) Thiessen - I had a really hard time choosing between Kelly and Slater because they have been successful in different ways. Thiessen had an extremely successful half decade as Valerie on 90210 and has since been supporting roles on 4 other series. I saw her just the other night on White Collar and while she may be a little older and have put on a few pounds, she still looks damn good.

1. Mario Lopez - As mentioned above, his success has come in different ways than Thiessen. He hasn't had a lead role on a tv series since 2003, but he always seems to be on my tv. Whether it is as host of Extra or Entertainment Tonight or his appearance on Dancing with the Stars or his stints as host of Miss Universe, Miss America or Miss Teen USA, Slater is everywhere. His IMDB page may not be as impressive as Thiessen, but I think you have to say he is more of an A-Lister than Kelly.

24 hours away...

...The Patriot League Championship Game is less than 24 hours away. My boys, the Bucknell Bison take on the Lafayette Leopards for a birth in the NCAA Tournament. We have not faced the Leopards in the PL Final since I was in school -the days of the hated trio of Brian Ehlers, Tyson Whitfield and Tim Bieg and I am still smarting over it. Not only do I want the Bison to go back to where they belong, but I want them to beat the Leopards to get there. I hate Lafayette.

Now, don't be fooled - we are the better team. No one but residents of Easton want the Leopards in the tournament...I mean, come on...they're 13-18 on the year. They don't belong.

The deck is stacked - they have to beat a team that finished 13-1 in conference and they have to do so at Sojka Pavilion, where BU is 13-1 on the season. Man, we need to win. We need to beat Lafayette. There is no reason why we should lose. I don't want to write a post tomorrow night about how Championship Games suck...I don't want the NIT. I want the NCAA Tournament. Come on, Bison....Let's get it done.

Thanks to Venoy, I Feel Slimy

It's no secret - I love sports. I love the competition, the athleticism and the drama. I love everything that happens inside the lines and I try my best to avoid all the stuff that happens away from the arena. Normally I am numb when it comes to raising salaries, owners crying poverty and of course criminal activities. But then something like this happens and I can't help but feel increasingly jaded.

Venoy Overton, arguably my favorite Husky for the past two years was suspended for the Pac-10 Tournament after being charged with furnishing alcohol to a minor. Look, I knew this was coming. I have my sources that told me Venoy was the player who was being investigated in January for an alleged sexual assault. At the time I decided to let things play themselves out and trust that our legal system would work itself out. When the sexual assault charges were then dropped my initial reaction was that the player was getting special treatment. Our legal system was founded on innocent until proven guilty, but when it comes to public opinion you're guilty until you can prove yourself innocent.

If I want to be completely honest here, I have to admit that race played a role in my thinking. Ok, maybe it's not completely race, but more like culture. Basketball is quickly becoming an inner-city game. Venoy went to inner-city Franklin High School, has tats covering his body and his face always says that he is ready to jump you. On the court I love his intensity; I love how is able to get under his opponents skin and I love his passion. Yet if I saw him off the court I would probably feel uncomfortable. When my boy Gorman calls UW a bunch of thugs, I always defend the Dawgs and call him out for his racist comment. The fact is though, and I hate to admit it, I could never really defend Overton.

Still, even though I knew Overton was probably got away with something because of his status, I tried my best to not let it bother me. I decided to focus on the team and forget the rest. Then when I read the news report in the Times yesterday I was definitely saddened. Not because the Huskies are losing a key member of their team, but because he was once my favorite player on the team. Having previously listed him in my Man-Crush List I now feel slimy.

Here are the night's events as being reported by the Times. Two 16-year old girls met Overton on Facebook. They decided to meet up with Overton at a local McDonald's before going back to Overton's sister's apartment. On the way Overton bought some alcohol. Once at the apartment, one girl performed a sex act on her own will. The other girl then followed, saying that she thought compelled into the sex act because of who he was. A few days after the night, the girl filed a complaint against Overton. Charges were then dropped by the prosecutor after her story did not match up with the other girls or the two other males in the room.

The public will never know how factual this account is, but let's for a second assume that it is accurate. Let's assume that no law was broken in relation to the sex act - the bottom line is that Overton supplied alcohol to minors and then had sex with them. I don't want to judge...I really don't, but as a father, I cannot help but feel disgusted by the entire evening. I know situations like this occur all the time in college. Kids get drunk. They hook up. Sometimes they regret it afterwards. The difference of course is that they can be considered adults. Overton, who I'm sure is able to meet a lot of college girls because of his status on campus decided to hook up with 16 year olds after supplying them with alcohol? It's not only pathetic but it's straight up disgusting.

The ironic thing to me about this whole situation is that we are not even a week removed from Brandon Davies being kicked off the BYU basketball team for having sex with his girlfriend. I think the sentiment around the nation is that the school should give him a break even though he knowingly broke the rules that he agreed to follow prior to taking his first class in Provo. "Give the kid a break...he was only doing what all red-blooded American boys do in college," people cried. Race cannot be an issue since both Overton and Davies are black - it's the situations that are completely different. A 22 year-old athlete who had sex with two minors (even though age of consent in Washington is 16, I still consider them minors) after giving them alcohol vs a 20 year-athlete who had concentual sex with his college age girlfriend. No way anyone can defend Overton on this one.

********

Taking all the emotion out of it, this obviously has a huge effect on the team. While BYU is rallying around Davies, I have this feeling that the Huskies won't be able to rally around Overton. I mean, they are completely different situations. From a personnel standpoint, we no longer have a pest on defense. We no longer have a shut-down perimeter defender and will need to rely on Isaiah to control the game even more. Overton provided an edge - others teams didn't like him and I think the rest of the team responded to his chippiness. We always seemed to play a little harder (often a little more out of control) when Venoy was on the court - now someone else is going to have to step up and light a fire under the defense's ass. While we may be the 3rd highest scoring team in America, it's our pressure defense that jump starts everything. I know he will be back for the NCAA Tournament, but that won't matter if we don't get there. We cannot afford a third loss to WSU.

Three-Pointer and the Foul!

Since I'm not a huge fan of having three small posts, here is one large post with three separate topics. It's not quite a five pack, more like a three-pointer. So let's get to it

• The next five games are going to ultimately define the Devils season. They currently sit in 12th place in the Eastern Conference, 8 points behind 8th place Buffalo (even on games played) and 10 points behind 7th place Ranger (with 3 games in hand). They are 20-2-2 in their last 24 games, yet I feel like they haven't gained much ground in the past week because teams above them having been winning. I see them still needing 24 points out of their final 17 games in order to have a legit shot at the playoffs (in doing so they also need the teams ahead of them to play losing hockey during this spell). The next five games are going to be crucial - not because they are playing teams that are on top of the standings, but rather they are playing teams they should beat. For a team that has been playing with nothing to lose, these games represent the first time when they do have something to lose. In the next five they get Ottawa twice (15th East), Atlanta twice (11th) and the hated Islanders (14th). They have to get 9 if not 10 points out of these 5 games because the schedule gets harder down the stretch with two against Boston (2nd) and Pittsburgh (4th) and one against Philly (1st), Washington (2nd) and the Rangers on the final day of the season. If they want to really make the playoffs, they need to get max points. It's as simple as that.
• We are witnessing one of the truly most remarkable NBA seasons of the past thirty years. Kevin Love, the 6'8" PF from the Minnesota Timberwolves, is having a record-breaking year. And while he has garnered some mainstream media attention, I'm not sure all America knows what he is going (credit playing in Minnesota and having to compete with Blake Griffin as large parts). So let's go over it: in 60 games this season Love has 55 double-doubles including a record-breaking 51 straight games. In that streak he has twelve 20/20 games and one 30/30 game (Nov 12 vs NY). His current average of 15.7 would be the highest in the league since Rodman in 1996-97 and he is the first person to have 20 points to go along with 15 boards since Moses Malone in 1982-83. He has been simply amazing, especially since he would not be considered one of the 6 most athletic guys on his own team, let alone the league. Instead he is using intelligence and savvy to pull down double-dogit boards every night, regardless of the opponent. Again, he has been simply amazing.
• Finally, let's talk a little wrestling again. As you know, The Rock returned to Raw a few weeks ago. He crushed John Cena and The Miz, prompting Cena to fire back using his old Dr of Thugonomics persona 'for one night only'. Last week, The Rock responded 'live' via satellite. As my boy Kevin Eck noted, the WWE is creating a sticky situation by having The Rock on tape while Cena shows up live every week. Anyone with an ounce of intelligence can see the hypocrisy in The Rock saying he is back and never leaving again...which makes me believe that they are actually doing this on purpose. And you know what, it is totally working. Last night you had Cena rap again and the crowd really seemed to be split between Cena and The Rock. By having them at each others throats rather than being buddy-buddy leading up to WM, they are creating major interest and intrigue. Personally, I am jacked to see what happens, especially now that The Miz finally has entered the fray by continuing to pummel a distracted Cena and by finally calling out The Rock. If I'm not wrong, I think I actually heard a pop for The Miz last night which is pretty unheard of. So far they are playing it perfect: keeping Cena and The Rock a part and at odds (thus making fans choose a side and then wait to see what happens) and having the wild card Miz (seemingly the heel of the three) now start to seem edgy and cool. I probably still can't justify the price of WM, but I certainly am going to enjoy the build-up to it...
• Oh wait, a 4th item - I totally forgot to mention the highlight of the night -Stone Cold Steve Austin came back and raised total hell. After Michael Cole announced that JBL would be the special guest ref in his match against Jerry Lawler, Austin stunned JBL and drank what appeared to be 12 beers. Then he poured two over Cole's head at the announcers table. When JBL finally got up in the ring, Austin offered him a beer and I assumed that for one night only JBL would revert back to his beer-drinking Bradshaw days, but instead, Austin stunned him and then had probably 12 more beers after that. It was classic Austin...and a classic reminder as to why he brought wrestling to such heights back when I was in college.
  

Sounders Take It on the Chin

With a 3-2 loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps yesterday, the Seattle Sounders were swept in the Inaugural Cascadia Summit. It was a shocking turn of events and a weekend that left all Sounders fans very disappointed. On the way home from Starfire yesterday, I promised myself that I would not read any of the comment sections on Soccer by Ives knowing full well that they would only piss me off. Of course I was unable to stop myself when I got home. I had to go see what exactly was being said...it was nothing I didn't expect. Timbers and Whitecaps fans (and really any anti-Sounders fans) were eating it up. While they killed the team, the worst part of it was the openly mocking of our fans. Apparently my fellow supporters are minimizing the losses by reminding everyone it was pre-season or by creating excuses like "well, we controlled the play and the 'Caps/Timbers got lucky with their goals."

I know that their are not Whitecaps or Timbers fans reading this, but just in case their are, let me be as direct as possible. We lost. You won. You were the better team. Period. No excuses from me. We stunk. You were better.

Stepping back from my initial shock, I should have seen this coming. I mean, here we are, the mighty Seattle Sounders...holders of the best fans in the world. The largest crowds in the country. The best success for any expansion team. It's not like our fans don't tell everyone about it. I have to imagine that this eats on every Portland and Vancouver fan - after all, they also lay claim to the best fans in the world. So the fans came into the competition with a HUGE chip on their shoulders and this undoubtedly rubbed off on the players as well. I have seen numerous interviews with either John Spencer or Tom Soehn where the reporter asks about Seattle's success - they are always complimentary but you can just see that vein their forehead about ready to pop. They, like the rest of the country, are tired of Seattle. They came up here on a mission: beat Seattle...check that, embarrass Seattle on it's own turf. They did exactly that.

For all the Sounders fans who are brushing it off as pre-season, I offer this opinion: you may be right, but at the end of the day, these pre-season games are not like the pre-season game against Colorado on Wednesday. These were games that we all expected to win. These were games that we let the entire Northwest know we were going to win. At the end of the day, Portland and Vancouver wanted it more than the Sounders. Forget the terrible mistakes - yes, maybe they were lucky but it's not like we would have been sad about being given the same opportunity. Hell no, if Jay Nolly or Troy Perkins had made those mistakes we would be KILLING the Timbers and Whitecaps right now. So take your licks and hope that the boys in rave green can erase these memories and beat them in the regular season. The problem with hyping a pre-season tournament with your bitter rivals is if you lose, you have to eat shit.

So let's do that. Let's take it on the chin and rebound for next time.

******

Ok, now that that is out of the way, a few comments from yesterday's game.

• I'm not sure how many Portland fans there were on Friday night, but I counted only about 100 Vancouver fans yesterday afternoon. They were loud, but I was a little disappointed in the atmosphere from both sections.
• I was starting to really like our second unit at the end of the year, but boy do they seem to have taken a step back. Taylor Graham and Terry Boss were horrendous. There is no other way to put it. Graham is lucky in that they already dropped the center back they drafted, but Boss isn't that fortunate - Sigi still has both rookie keepers in camp and word is that he loves both of them.
• Out of the overall suckiness emerged two new favorites for The Wife, J-Will and I: Eric Friberg and Servando Carrasco. Friberg had a calmness on the ball that is sorely lacking with this team. I think he can play a major roll moving forward. Carrasco on the other hand has no such calmness, as he has the potential to be the next Ozzie Alonso for this team. He was every where yesterday and really impressed.
• Funniest moment of the day: in response to the Clapping Y chant thingy we do, the Vancouver supporters sang the YMCA.
• Major ups to J-Will for breaking his ankle. We got amazing front row seats and a spot in disabled parking. The players were so close we could have touched them (and then probably taken out by security but it would have been worth it).
• I was hoping for more from O'Brien White and Michael Tetteh, but I am not ready to write them off yet.
• Finally, thoughts going out to Mike Fucito who came up lame with what is being called an abductor strain. We had front row seats for when he pulled up...it was not a good scene.
  

We have one more pre-season game this week against Colorado before next Tuesday's season opener against the Gals on ESPN. Ultimately, if we lose to the Rapids but beat LA then this weekend's results will be a distant memory. But if we get spanked at home by LA and then on the road against the Red Bulls, this will stick in our memory as a preview of what was to come. I can only hope that we have gotten it out of our system because it was brutal.

Stupid Timbers

OK...so I was partially right. I said the only way the timbers beat us is if they were to score an early goal and then Sigi played his subs in the second half. Well, the first goal was of the ugly variety (I know it was wet out, but Kasey you have to hold on to that)...the part I got wrong was how Sigi handled his personnel as he only brought on 4 subs deep into the second half.

Straight up, Portland beat us. If you listen to the quotes after the game or read many of the Seattle bloggers, you will get the sense that all is ok. "We had the better of the play...we were able to connect a lot of passes...we just have to work on scoring" You know, the same old stuff that happens every time we lose.

Look, I love that we play attractive soccer. I love that we are not bunkering down, playing long balls and hoping for a mistake. I love that, it's just that sometimes we get tripped up by teams who are wiling to adapt to win. Portland won the game...I am not taking anything away from them. But it was clear that once they got their goal they were happy to defend. The line-up was made up of a lot of marginal starters from other MLS clubs, but they all had the fire in them as if they had played for Portland for years. Jewsbury was his annoying self. Jeremy Hall was buzzing all around. Sal Zizzo played with a chip on his shoulders. In the end, they beat us. Simple as that.

Now a few observations:

• Even though I love Arlo, I thought switching announcing duties after the first half was very smart
• Zakuani looked dangerous all night
• Alonso was his normal self - breaking up plays and doing a nice of starting the attack
• Brad Evans was mostly silent - I am a big fan in general of his, but I will be keeping a close eye on him to make sure I remain objective. I mean he was no where to be seen
  
• Nkufo looks like he has weights on his legs. It will be important for him to hold the ball up this season because I don't think he can run
• Where was Timber killer Roger Levesque? Honestly, he would have been good for a goal.
• Does Sigi throw his second unit out today?
• The cameraman was definitely having a hard time - he was apparently in pre-season form as well

Today The Wife, J-Will and I are making the trip down to Tukwila to see them take on the Whitecaps. We are VERY excited to see the boys again. Here's hoping for good weather and some goals. COME ON YOU SOUNDERS!